It might appear to be some sort of watch advertisement were it not for Niall Ferguson's blazing headline 'Hit the Road, Barack: Why We Need a New President.'

The article sizes him up on his economic and foreign relations accomplishments, as well as announces the rise of his apparent new nemesis: Paul Ryan.

Hey Girl: Newsweek's cover might appear to be some sort of watch advertisement were it not for Niall Ferguson's blazing headline 'Hit the Road, Barack: Why We Need a New President'

Niall Ferguson, a British professor of history at Harvard University, relies heavily on the idea of promises to lampoon Barack Obama into submission - a surprising argument for the historically liberal, and pro-Obama publication.

It is urgent, he argues, to lose the rhetoric and spring for reform.

'I was a good loser four years ago,' he writes. As a 'full disclosure' adviser to John McCain, his sentiments are hardly surprising, but he does not rely on opinion to make his case.

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Drawing heavily on unemployment numbers, stagnant growth on the economy and expert dissatisfaction, he presents Mr Obama as a lame duck.

'It is five years since the financial crisis began, but the central problems—excessive financial concentration and excessive financial leverage—have not been addressed,' Mr Ferguson writes.

But more than just his policies are the problem, Mr Ferguson says, it's his decision making abilities.

Campaign: Campaign: The article reads like a report card for the current POTUS

Stop: Drawing heavily on unemployment numbers, stagnant growth on the economy and expert dissatisfaction, he presents Mr Obama as a lame duck

'After the imperial presidency of the Bush era, there was something more like parliamentary government in the first two years of Obama’s administration,' Mr Ferguson writes.

'The president proposed; Congress disposed.'

'The voters now face a stark choice,' Mr Ferguson says.

'They can let Barack Obama’s rambling, solipsistic narrative continue until they find themselves living in some American version of Europe, with low growth, high unemployment, even higher debt—and real geopolitical decline.'

The nail in the coffin will be Paul Ryan, Mr Ferguson argues. The two met in 2010 at a fundraising dinner.

Competition: It is urgent, the writer argues, to lose the rhetoric and spring for reform

'Ryan blew me away. I have wanted to see him in the White House ever since,' Mr Ferguson writes.

While Mr Ryan possesses the charm that Mr Obama once mastered, Mitt Romney harnesses the private sector experience, and leadership, that Mr Obama has always lacked.

'Now Obama is going head-to-head with his nemesis: a politician who believes more in content than in form, more in reform than in rhetoric,' Mr Ferguson writes.

His analysis is not without controversy, however, as New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has called him out on an error.

Reception: The public reception of the cover has been hot and cold

No Thanks: Some readers announced their allegiance to Newsweek, while other readers pronouncing their disdain

Reverse: Still, other readers thought the controversial cover might be a boost for Barack

'There are multiple errors and misrepresentations in Niall Ferguson’s cover story in Newsweek — I guess they don’t do fact-checking,' Mr Krugman writes on his blog.

He refers to this passage of the piece:

'The president pledged that health-care reform would not add a cent to the deficit. But the CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation now estimate that the insurance-coverage provisions of the ACA will have a net cost of close to $1.2 trillion over the 2012–22 period.'

And then declares:

'Readers are no doubt meant to interpret this as saying that CBO found that the Act will increase the deficit. But anyone who actually read, or even skimmed, the CBO report (pdf) knows that it found that the ACA would reduce, not increase, the deficit — because the insurance subsidies were fully paid for.'

He calls on Newsweek to correct the 'plain misrepresentation of the facts.'